The ideal replacement for lithium-ion batteries? Can Water-Based Zinc Batteries Do This?
After developing a water-based lithium battery last year, the University of Maryland has developed a water-based zinc battery. Can it be commercialized this time?
U.S. researchers have developed a rechargeable, water-based zinc battery that not only has high capacity, long life, but is also safer and is expected to be an ideal replacement for the widely used lithium-ion batteries.
For batteries, small size, large capacity, long life, high safety, and low manufacturing cost are ideal quality requirements, but batteries that integrate these characteristics are still difficult to find. Take lithium batteries widely used in consumer electronic products as an example. Although they are remarkable in terms of capacity, volume and lifespan, their explosion risk has been criticized by many people.
This time, a research team composed of researchers from the University of Maryland, the Army Research Laboratory and the National Institute of Standards and Technology combined traditional zinc battery technology with water battery technology to develop a larger capacity and safer battery. rechargeable battery. They used a new type of aqueous electrolyte to replace the flammable organic electrolyte used in traditional lithium-ion batteries, which greatly improved the safety of the battery; and by adding metal zinc and adding salt to the electrolyte, the energy density of the battery was effectively improved.
The researchers noted that zinc batteries are safe and relatively inexpensive to produce, but are not perfect due to their low energy density and short lifespan. The new water-based zinc battery overcomes these shortcomings of the traditional zinc battery, which not only greatly improves the energy density of the battery, but also prolongs the battery life. Compared to lithium batteries, water-based zinc batteries are not only comparable in energy density, but are also much safer, with no risk of explosion or fire.
The researchers are confident in the commercialization prospects of the new water-based zinc battery. They said that the new type of battery will eventually not only be used in consumer electronics and become a strong competitor of lithium batteries, but also be used in extreme environments such as space and deep sea, and it will be useful in aerospace, deep-sea exploration and other fields.
The relevant research results were published in the latest issue of the journal Nature Materials.
In fact, as early as last September, researchers at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and the University of Maryland developed for the first time lithium-ion batteries using a water-salt solution as an electrolyte that could achieve the required level of home electronics such as laptops. 4.0 volts without the fire and explosion hazard that some commercially available non-aqueous lithium-ion batteries do.
According to Dr. Kang Xu, an ARL researcher specializing in electrochemistry and materials science and lead author of the study, this technology will provide soldiers with a completely safe and flexible lithium-ion battery with the same energy as SOA lithium-ion batteries density. Even under severe mechanical abuse, the battery remains free of fire and explosion hazards.
Comments: The water-based system has a significant effect in improving battery safety. From solid-state batteries to graphene batteries to water-based zinc batteries, new battery concepts are always emerging, but so far in practical applications , There is no kind of battery that can really make a breakthrough and realize industrialization. New battery technology can be paid attention to, but these so-called new technologies are more of a hype concept, and the industry should pay more attention to whether the new technology has the conditions for industrialization in the near future.
